Tom's 'Iron Deficiency Anaemia Camp'
by jacnaylor1998
Summary: When Sam is ill, Tom tries to make her better but will she let him?
1. Chapter 1

**Tuesday, 7pm**  
"Sam, you okay?" Tom asked softly as he rubbed her arms gently. They were both cuddling each other on the sofa in front of the TV after a long shift at the ED.  
"Fine." She mumbled.  
"You just seem a bit quiet."  
"I'm just tired, I'm going to bed." Sam said sleepily as she slipped out of Tom's arms and into her bedroom.

Tom was sure that something was off with her but he thought it was best to leave it for now as she seemed so tired. He turned the tv off and followed Sam into the bedroom. She silently got changed into her pyjamas, went to the bathroom and slipped under the covers. Tom got changed and slipped into bed next to her.

* * *

**Wednesday, 6:30am**  
Sam's alarm went off and she slowly whacked the button to turn it off. Sam rolled over onto her side, facing away from Tom and laid still for a while. Sam's alarm as usual had woken Tom up. Normally, as soon as the alarm went off, Sam would jump up and go for a run. So Tom rolled over to face Sam's back.  
"Do you want me to make you some breakfast?" Tom asked as he wrapped his arm around Sam's stomach.  
"No thanks." Sam mumbled. She pulled out of Tom's grip and slipped into the bathroom.

When she came out, Tom was there waiting for her. "Let me see your nails." Tom whispered. Sam was confused but she raised her hands which Tom took into hers. He nodded his head and asked, "Have you been feeling run down?" Sam nodded.

"I think I just need to ease on the running a bit." She lied as she walked past Tom and picked out her clothes for the day.  
"Are your periods heavy?" Tom asked quietly.  
"Why?"  
"Are they?"  
"Why?" Sam repeated defensively.  
"I think you're anaemic."  
"No I'm not." Sam replied angrily.

"How do you know your not? Your tired, irritable-"  
"Tom, just leave it please." Sam pleaded. Her voice sounded pathetic so Tom left it.

* * *

**8am**  
Tom and Sam arrived at work in his car. Silently, they walked into work, got changed and set off for the day. Secretly, Tom snuck off towards the nurses station and logged on to the computer. He brought up the patient files database and typed in 'Samantha Nicholls'

He scrolled through her file until he reached an file that was logged 2 months ago and awarded important.  
"Miss Nicholls was diagnosed 3 months ago with iron deficiency anaemia caused by heavy menstrual bleeding. She was prescribed iron supplements three times a day however against my recommendation, Miss Nicholls has stopped taking them due to severe side effects which includes nausea, vomiting and severe abdominal pain which could not be managed with pain relief. However, Miss Nicholls did not try all possibilities to relieve the symptoms. Currently, Miss Nicholls is still iron deficient and anaemic and is refusing treatment."

Tom took a deep breath. He quickly closed Sam's file, opened up the internet browser and began researching about treatment for Sam's condition.

* * *

**1am**

"Zoe, can I have a quick word in your office please?" Tom said as he and Zoe walked away from a patient.  
"Tom where have you been all day? I've been trying to page you for a paeds case but you haven't been here at all." Zoe stated.  
"Um, I was in cubicles with Ash." Tom lied. "How about that word?"  
"Sure."

* * *

Once they were both in the office, Tom stood and leant forward on Zoe's desk.  
"What's up?" Zoe asked cautiously.  
"Can Sam and I have the next two days off? We've both got plenty of holiday left so it shouldn't be a problem yeah?"  
"Er Tom, it's too short notice to have two doctors off just so you two can have a long weekend!" Zoe exclaimed,  
"Please Zoe." Tom pleaded.  
"Is there something wrong with Sam?"  
"What makes you ask that?"  
"She just looks run down and she hasn't been focusing properly." Zoe admitted.  
"She's just... Oh look I'm sorry but if I tell you she'd probably kill me! She's just ill and she needs some rest to get better."

"Tom, if she needs rest then why do you need two days off?"  
"Zoe please!" Tom pleased.  
"No Tom. I can't give you both two days off if I don't know why." Zoe lied. Noseyness was getting the better of her. Tom was hesitant to tell Zoe and he paused for a few minutes before he explained.

"She's got iron deficiency anaemia. She's had it several times in the last few years and she gets really bad side effects of being on iron supplements so she stops taking them and never fully recovers from it. I just need a few days to get her into a routine and to help her relief her side effects so that I can get her better. I've rung haematology and I've got all the information I need to help her. Please Zoe." Tom explained.

"Right um... I'll sort out cover for the next two days. Do you know the cause of it?"  
"Yes why?"  
"Because if you don't sort out the cause, it'll just come back again."  
"Right. Thanks Zoe." Tom said as he began to think about how he could help the cause of Sam's anaemia.

**Thanks for reading, this was just an idea I had. please review if you want me to carry on :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for reading and I know that checking someone's medical records isn't allowed but I don't think that Sam would take action against Tom once she found out so...**

3pm  
"Zoe have you seen Sam?" Tom asked curiously. He had barely seen her all day and he hadn't seen her at all in the last few hours.  
"No sorry." Zoe said as she rushed off to a meeting.

Tom looked everywhere around the ED. He finally found her in the oncall room fast asleep. She hadn't even taken the mere seconds to get under the duvet because she had been so tired. Tom snuck out and returned with a syringe in a kidney dish. He knew it was risky because she was a light sleeper but Sam hadn't had a blood test in months and he needed to know the extent of her condition.

Tom carefully slid the needle into Sam's arm and let the vial fill with blood. Surprisingly, she didn't wake, she must've been so tired that she was in a deeper sleep than usual.

Once he had done, Tom slipped out of the room and sent the bloods off to the labs. A while later, the results came back saying that Sam was severely anaemic. Tom began collaborating a plan for Sam's recovery.

* * *

5:10pm  
It was the end of everyone's shift and the staff room was empty except for Tom and Sam.  
"Listen, I'm going to go for a quick drink with Fletch before I come home tonight alright?" Tom lied. Sam forced a smile.  
"Okay, see you later."

* * *

6:30pm  
Tom returned to Sam's flat with his hands full of carrier bags. He walked through to the kitchen, dumped them on the counter and walked back out of the flat to get the rest of his things. After another two trips, Tom shut the door behind him and took his bag through to Sam's bedroom. He dumped it on the floor and accidentally woke Sam up who was sleeping on the bed.

"What's that?" Sam asked sleepily as she sat up and pointed to Tom's large holdall.  
"Just some of my things. Come out here, I've got a surprise for you." Tom said as he nodded his head towards the kitchen. Tom hadn't packed the shopping away yet but he handed Sam an a4 gift box with a ribbon tied on it and a small card.

Sam opened the card first. It was a red me to you card with the words 'To the love of my life.' She opened it and read,  
'_Dear Sam,  
I have to admit that I read your medical history and I know about your iron deficiency anaemia. I also know the problems you had with treatment which is why we have a four day weekend together. This gift is what you get for enrolling yourself in the 'Dr Kent's Iron Deficiency Anaemia Recovery Bootcamp' :) I want you to be happy and well so I have put together a plan which I promise will help you get better.  
Tom x'_

Sam shook her head and she opened the box. It was a black ring binder almost full to the brim. She opened the folder to reveal the front cover. It was a picture of Tom pointing at the camera with a fake moustache and the caption 'Your boyfriend needs you (to get better.)'

She smirked and turned the page to the contents. There was meal plans, exercise regimes, medication timetables and appointments (which were sessions with Tom where he could perform a blood test and check on her progress monthly.)

"In 6 months, you'll be better, as long as you work with me and trust me. What do you say?" Tom asked apprehensively.  
"I say what's in the bag?" Sam asked as she pointed towards the pharmacy bag on the side in front of all of the carrier bags.

"Right well the cause of your condition is your heavy periods so, if we start you on birth control from tomorrow, that should make them a bit lighter. And there's also vitamin and mineral tablets which contain potassium which should also make them lighter. As well as iron tablets which I have strong pain killers for the abdominal pain and ginger capsules for when you feel nauseous... Is that a yes?" Tom asked as he smiled at Sam and fluttered his eyelids.

"Did you say we have a four day weekend?"  
"Yep, I've booked Thursday and Friday off for both of us. I said to Zoe we're going on a holiday." Tom lied so that Sam wouldn't be embarrassed that Zoe knew.

"Well then it's a yes from me!" Sam said happily as she smiled at Tom. Tom hugged her tightly.  
"Just out of curiosity, are you on your period now?"  
"No." She stated.

"And there's no chance you could be pregnant no?"  
"Tom you're always careful." She stated.  
"I'm just checking so that you can take the supplements. I am your doctor so I must be thorough." He joked. "By the way, I've set your alarm for 7am every morning so you always take all of your pills at the same time. And we're going to have breakfast at 8am everyday from now on. And there's a lot more you need to know about Dr Kent's boot camp but it's all in the file." Tom smiled as he nodded towards the folder.

"Great. What's for dinner? I'm starving."  
"Chicken soup with breadsticks. Followed by an orange and mango smoothie."  
"I thought I was meant to be having iron rich foods?"  
"Well there's quite a bit in the chicken soup and the breadsticks. And the orange contains vitamin c which helps in the absorption of iron. I know what I'm doing."

"Yeah, just you wait. Once I've started taking the iron tablets you'll wish you've never been born."  
"And whys that?"  
"Constant nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain does not put anyone in a good mood Tom." Sam stated.  
"Yes well, I've got a plan to relieve you of those symptoms and it's going to be a bit of trial and error for the first few days which is why I've booked us the long weekend. Just trust me, it'll work." Tom winked at Sam. "And besides, you're barely ever in a good mood, I'm used to it." Tom joked. He quickly jumped out of the way of Sam's fist which was directed for his chest.

"See what I mean?" Tom protested. Sam rolled her eyes and took the folder with her. She sat on the sofa and began reading it. Tom smirked at her stubbornness but he began making dinner and left her too it.

"No coffee or tea!?"  
"Nope. They both have chemicals in them which stop iron from getting into your blood stream and you have milk with both of them and your not having any dairy products until I say so." Tom exclaimed as he placed the breadsticks in a glass on the table in front of Sam who was just in front of the TV.  
"What?"  
"Sam. Please just trust me, it'll work. I promise."

"Fine." Sam flicked through the folder until she reached the exercise section. And read the top line.  
'Personal Trainer : Dr Tom Kent.'  
"You're my personal trainer? I thought personal trainers were supposed to be fitter than their trainee!" She joked. "And what makes you think that I need a personal trainer?"

"You obviously haven't read the whole thing then because you'd know that I'm also your personal dietician, haematologist and gynaecologist." He joked.

"Tom you're not even trained in those areas."  
"No but I've done a hell of a lot of research today about anaemia and about eating habits for your condition. I haven't researched anything gynaecology but I think I've learnt a lot about it from you." He said seductivley.

"Why are you my 'gynaecologist' anyway?"  
"Because I'm sorting out your heavy periods." Tom said sarcastically as he pulled a disgusted face.  
"Your putting me on the pill Tom, a 16 year old could do that." Tom laughed at her and poured the soup into two bowls.

* * *

8:30pm  
Tom and Sam were sat next to each other in their pyjamas on the sofa under a blanket with the TV on in front of them. Sam had her head against his chest; she wasn't even paying attention to what the TV said.  
"So what's the plan for tomorrow? I mean, what's planned on day 1 of dr Kent's boot camp?" Sam asked sleepily.

"Get up at 7, have your tablets with a protein shake and we'll go for a run for twenty minutes. Come back, have a shower and we'll have orange juice and brown toast for breakfast. Then we'll see how the tablets are affecting you. I was thinking we could maybe relax and watch a movie if you're tired. I've got popcorn which is high in iron and if your feeling up to it, we could maybe book a holiday..." Tom said suggestively.

"What kind of holiday?" Sam murmured as her eyelids began to droop.  
"It's up to you. We could go abroad and rent our own villa with a pool, go cruising, hiking, camping... I don't mind. What would you like?" Tom asked as he squeezed Sam's arms. She didn't reply.  
"Sam?" Tom looked down and saw that her eyes were closed.

He turned the TV off and gently picked her up in his arms. He placed her gently into bed and tucked her under the duvet. Tom turned off all of the lights, made sure the front door was locked and slipped into bed next to Sam where he fell asleep watching Sam's chest slowly rise and fall.

**Thanks for reading, please review :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry its been so long but I've got so much coursework and so many controlled assessments and exams that its unreal. To compensate, its a fairly long chapter :)**

6:50am  
Tom's alarm went off first and he quickly used one arm to turn it off. He was about to get up and prepare for the day but he realised that a although he was lying on his back, Sam was snuggled up to him on her side with her head against his shoulder. She usually did this when she was cold in the night so he slowly slipped out of her limp arms and pulled the duvet back up to her chin.

* * *

7am  
Sam's alarm woke her up instantly and she groggily turned the infuriating beeping off. As she slowly sat up, Tom walked into the bedroom wearing his running gear carrying a tray.  
"Morning." He said cheerfully. "Welcome to Dr Kent's boot camp day 1." He joked.

Tom sat next to Sam and handed her a bottle of water with the lid taken off.  
"Right," he said as he popped a pill out of a packet and into Sam's hand, "birth control." He then opened a small bottles and tipped two pills onto Sam's hand.  
"And iron supplements."  
"I thought I was supposed to take three." Sam said as she gulped them down with a mouthful of water.  
"You can take up to three, but if I start you off on two for now and an iron rich diet, we'll see how it goes. Right," Tom said as he clapped his hands together and stood up off of the bed.

"Get changed, we've got some running to get on with."

* * *

7:30am  
Tom opened the flat door and let Sam enter first after returning from their run. They both kicked their shoes off and placed their empty protein shake bottles on the kitchen side.  
"Go on, sit down and I'll make breakfa- woah!" Tom exclaimed as Sam collapsed. He caught her just before she hit the floor. He carried her bridal style to the bedroom and laid her on the bed.

* * *

After a few minutes, she started to come round. "Sam, squeeze my hand if you can hear me." Tom felt a small squeeze so he let out a sigh of relief.  
"As your personal trainer I think, We may have to cut down on the running a little."  
"It's fine. I'm used to it." Sam mumbled as she sat up and leant against the head board with Tom's support. Sam groaned quietly.

"How often do you faint?" Tom asked. He knew she had had anaemia on and off for years from her notes, and she had definitely had it constantly for the last 6 months at least so she must've been used to fainting alone because Tom had never seen her faint.

"It depends. When I'm on my period and a few days after, I faint most days but that's usually because of the pain. When I'm not on, 1 or 2 times a week. But it's usually in the mornings when I get up." She mumbled as she rubbed her hands across her abdomen.  
"Okay, I'll have to write that down in my notes." He joked. "You hungry?" Sam pulled a 'meh.' face. "I'll make breakfast then. Stay here, you can have breakfast in bed." Tom was just about to leave the bedroom when Sam stopped him.

"Tom, I've got abdominal pains." Sam moaned as she rubbed her stomach.  
"Okay, I'll get you painkillers. How bad is it on a scale of 1-10?"  
"9" she replied, Sam turned over on the bed and laid down so that her face was buried in the pillow.  
"Where is it? Lower or-"  
"Get me the bloody painkillers." Sam demanded as she moaned into the pillow.

"Great, I can add irritability and mood swings to my notes as well." Tom mumbled to himself so that Sam couldn't hear. He quickly got some painkillers and a glass of water and as he returned, Sam was stumbling out of bed and she clambered into the bathroom. She just made the bathroom as she vomited into the toilet.  
"Let me guess, nausea too?" Tom asked softly as he rubbed Sam's back. She nodded and slowly stood up from leaning over the toilet bowl.

"I can see why you stopped taking the supplements if you were dealing with this alone." Tom stated.  
"It wasn't because I was alone that I stopped. I took the supplements for weeks and I was like this everyday. I just- I was too exhausted, I couldn't take it anymore." She explained as Tom helped her back into bed.  
"Was that when we weren't together?" Tom asked. Sam nodded. "You should have told someone, got some proper help."  
"Tom, leave it please." She said emotionally.  
"I'll be right back. Take these." Tom said as he left Sam the painkillers. Once she'd swallowed them Tom returned.  
"Take one of these." Tom said as he handed Sam a packet of capsules containing ginger. "It'll help with the nausea." He whispered as he slipped into bed next to her and massaged her stomach.

* * *

1 hour later, Sam was feeling much better. She only had a minor stomach ache which she could deal with, and the nausea had vanished. She was still lying in bed and Tom was cuddling her.  
"You alright now?"  
"Mmhmm. Tom, you know you read my medical notes?"  
"Yes."  
"Did you see anything other than the anaemia reports?"  
"Um, no why?"  
"There's probably some things you should know about." She stated quietly. She knew he would find it in her file eventually because he was now regularly updating it with her blood results and notes about her condition. And if he didn't find it soon, Sam wouldn't be able to hide it from him anyway.  
"I'm listening." Tom said kindly as he looked at Sam into her glistening eyes.

"I have dysmenorrhoea."  
"Which means?"  
"I get really... painful periods." She stated quietly.  
"Okay well, we can deal with that when the time comes." Tom said softly. This made Sam a little less embarrassed because he was dealing with it so well.

* * *

One week later, 2am Thursday

Tom had managed Sam's symptoms well and for once she had no side effects of the iron supplements, however she did have other problems. Sam was lying awake at 2 o'clock in the morning with Tom who was fast asleep next to her. She had really bad period pains.

She had put a pad on before she got into bed last night however, because Sam and Tom had fallen asleep watching a movie, she hadn't prepared like she normally would have. Usually, she got painkillers ready next to her bed, a hot water bottle and a kettle full of water in the kitchen and a heat pad for her lower back ready next to her bed. She would also normally have a warm, relaxing bath the night before she was due however, because Tom was there, she didn't want to make a fuss.

Sam had been awake for well over an hour now however to her, it had seemed like several hours. She knew she needed to get up and get the painkillers, but she knew they were at the top of her medicine cabinet which would hurt even more to reach up. She also knew that her hot water bottle was on top of her wardrobe where she had chucked it when she was tidying her room last week and she would probably faint from the pain if she tried to reach that.

She knew she only had one option left: wake Tom. Sam also knew that if she woke him, he would be more than happy to help her despite the fact that it was 2am. She didn't want to wake him because she was embarrassed that she couldn't move without crying. She could feel the tears pricking in her eyes but she forced them away because she had to wake Tom. Otherwise she would have a full blown crying episode.

"Tom..." Sam whispered. She knew that he wouldn't hear it and she knew she had to talk louder to wake him.  
"Tom... Tom." Sam repeated quietly as she stroked his arm a little. She was getting frustrated because she didn't feel like speaking and she was on the brink of crying.

_"To-o-om._" Sam cried. She knew she sounded pathetic but she didn't think he'd hear here but he did. Tom opened his eyes. He thought he heard something but it was probably nothing so he closed his eyes again. Then he heard Sam cry out his name in several syllables next to him.

Tom quickly turned the bedside lamp on and looked at Sam. She had tears pouring down her pale cheeks.  
"Hey, what's wrong?" Tom asked as he wiped away the tears on Sam's chin and cheeks however, they were soon replaced by new ones. Although he already knew the answer; he was incharge of her medication which mean he knew when she was on because she took birth control.

"P-period pains." Sam cried as she buried her damp face into Tom's chest. He shuffled closer to her. Sam had her knees up to her chest, she was curled up as small as she could get so Tom laid on his side, with Sam's face and knees against his chest. Tom bent his knees a little so that Sam's tiny feet and bum rested on his thighs.

"I'll get you some painkillers yeah?" Tom whispered softly. Sam nodded and Tom slipped out of bed and into the kitchen. When he returned with a glass of water and small packet of tablets he realised that it was going to be difficult for Sam to sit up and actually take them.

Tom popped out two tablets into Sam's clammy hand. He wrapped his arm around Sam's back and gently supported her as she sat up a tiny bit so that she didn't choke. Tom held the glass to Sam's mouth after she put the tablets in her mouth. She quickly swallowed them and curled back into a ball. She really wanted her fluffy hot water bottle but she really didn't feel like talking.

"Have you got a hot water bottle?" Tom asked. He felt awful because he could only watch as she suffered. Sam was so relieved that he asked that and nodded.  
"Where is it?"  
"Top of wardrobe." Sam whispered as she began crying again.

"Calm down, calm down, I'll be right back okay." Tom said as he grabbed the pink fluffy hot water bottle and ran into the kitchen. He flicked the switch for the kettle and waited impatiently for it to boil.

Once it boiled, Tom quickly filled up the hot water bottle, ran back to the bedroom and gently slipped into the bed next to Sam. "I can't take this anymore." Sam cried into Tom's chest as he firmly pushed the hot water bottle into her abdomen.

"Yes you can, just give it time for the painkillers to kick in and you'll be fine." Tom said softly.  
"It hurts." Sam cried as she let the tears drip down her face. Her pillow was now damp.  
"I know, but you'll feel better soon." He tried to reassure her.  
"Tom help me." Sam pleaded. She obviously wasn't in her normal state of mind because she sounded so hopeless and needy compared to the usual strong minded, determined Sam Nicholls.

Tom felt helpless. Sam was looking up at him as she pleaded from him to help her but there wasn't anything more he could do for her.  
"Do you want me to run you a warm bath?" Tom asked as soon as the idea popped into his head. Sam shook her head against Tom's chest.  
"Do you want a hot drink?" He asked kindly but Sam once again shook her head. It was probably because that would mean she would have to sit up to be able to drink it.

Tom was frustrated that he didn't know what else he could do.  
"Just don't leave me."  
"I won't Sam, I would never leave you."  
It was a good ten minutes before Sam stopped sobbing into Tom's chest and another ten before she fell asleep again.

* * *

7am, Thursday

Sam was awoken by her alarm. She quickly turned it off and within seconds, Tom came into the bedroom with a tray.  
As usual, Sam slowly sat up and Tom handed her her pills one by one.  
"Birth control placebo, iron supplement times two, painkillers and ginger capsule." Tom said slowly.

Once Sam had swallowed all of them, she finished the small glass of water and gave it back to Tom. She was embarrassed about the events in the early hours of the morning, she couldn't remember all of it, only that she was in immense pain and that she broke down sobbing and crying to Tom saying that she couldn't do it anymore.

"Are you in pain now?" Tom asked softly. Sam nodded her head.  
"A bit but not as bad as this morning. Im really sorry, about earlier." Sam mumbled.  
"Oh don't be. I'm glad I could help." Tom admitted. "Do you want to take the day off of work today?" He asked kindly.

"No, it usually only hurts in the early morning. I'll be alright in an hour or two." Sam said as she stood up.

Tom nodded and walked into the bathroom, leaving the door open as usual. He pulled down his boxers and Sam did the rest for him. She slipped her arms around his waist and held it for him as he urinated.  
"Good aim." He joked.  
"I was in the army, I should hope so." She replied jokily.

* * *

6 Months later  
Sam and Tom were sitting in a bay in the ED. Tom was about to open the results of what they hoped would be Sam's final blood test. She had been doing well on Tom's 'Iron deficiency Camp' and she hadn't fainted at all in the last month. Her periods were lighter thanks to the pill and she actually preferred the iron rich diet to her previous healthy diet.

"Well come on then open it." Sam said excitedly. She wasn't sure who was more excited, herself hoping she was no longer deficient, or Tom who was hoping that his 'Camp' had worked.  
Tom opened it and spent several seconds scanning through the results until he stopped and stared at something for a while.

"Well?" Sam begged.  
"Just call me Dr Kent- Expert haematologist, gynaecologist, personal trainer and dietician." Tom smiled. Sam squealed and hugged him tightly.  
"Thank you." Sam said over his shoulder.

"You're welcome." Tom couldn't help but smile at Sam's happiness.  
"And to repay you... We're going on holiday!" Sam announced.  
"What?"  
"Well you said when I was diagnosed that you were thinking of booking a holiday but we kind of left it at that because I was ill. But we don't have to worry about that anymore so we're going on holiday!" Sam explained.

"Where?" Tom asked excitedly.  
"You'll just have to wait and see!"

**Thanks for reading and I know it's a bit of a crappy ending for this fanfic but don't worry, I'm writing a sequel of their holiday so any ideas would be greatly appreciated, please review :)**


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